microenvironment

[ mahy-kroh-en-vahy-ern-muhnt, -vahy-ruhn- ]

/ ˌmaɪ kroʊ ɛnˈvaɪ ərn mənt, -ˈvaɪ rən- /

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noun

the environment of a small area or of a particular organism; microhabitat.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of microenvironment

First recorded in 1950–55; micro- + environment

OTHER WORDS FROM microenvironment

mi·cro·en·vi·ron·men·tal

[mahy-kroh-en-vahy-ern-men-tl, -vahy-ruhn-], /ˌmaɪ kroʊ ɛnˌvaɪ ərnˈmɛn tl, -ˌvaɪ rən-/, adjective

Words nearby microenvironment

microecology, microeconomics, microelectronics, microelectrophoresis, microencapsulation, microenvironment, microevolution, microfarad, microfauna, microfiber, microfibre

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use microenvironment in a sentence

Egeblad does it in a Fantastic Voyage style—by watching what the cells in the tumor microenvironment do.
Triggering the Body’s Defenses to Fight Cancer - Issue 108: Change|Lina Zeldovich|November 3, 2021|Nautilus
Understanding the tumor microenvironment has other potentials.
Triggering the Body’s Defenses to Fight Cancer - Issue 108: Change|Lina Zeldovich|November 3, 2021|Nautilus
Each organelle makes up a microenvironment, so they can function semi-independently.
Scientists Create Artificial Mitochondria That Can Make Energy for Damaged Cells|Shelly Fan|September 21, 2021|Singularity Hub

British Dictionary definitions for microenvironment

microenvironment

/ (ˈmaɪkrəʊɪnˌvaɪrənmənt) /

noun

ecology the environment of a small area, such as that around a leaf or plant

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for microenvironment

microenvironment

[ mī′krō-ĕn-vī′rən-mənt ]

The environment of a very small, specific area, distinguished from its immediate surroundings by such factors as the amount of incident light, the degree of moisture, and the range of temperatures. The side of a tree that is shaded from sunlight is a microenvironment that typically supports a somewhat different community of organisms than is found on the side that receives regular light. Also called microhabitat